This study found that 49% to 52% of the adult population had either diabetes or prediabetes. Then came the most stunning number: 83% of adults over 65 have either diabetes or prediabetes! Thankfully, the authors of this study note that the prevalence of diabetes may have plateaued.

In other good news, rates of undiagnosed diabetes decreased from 40% in the period ranging from 1988 to 1994 down to 31% in 2011 and 2012. This means that we are getting better at screening for diabetes and more people have access to care.

United Kingdom

Each year, the UK government publishes an annual diabetes fact sheet based on a Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) survey. As of 2015, the total is approximately 3.5 million people:

2,913,538 in England have diabetes

84,836 in Northern Ireland have diabetes

183,348 Wales have diabetes

271,312 in Scotland have diabetes

Canada

According to the Canadian government, “Type 2 diabetes is one of the fastest growing diseases in Canada with more than 60,000 new cases yearly. Nine out of ten people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or postponed by making healthy lifestyle choices…. It is estimated that close to two million Canadian adults have diabetes. One third of these people are unaware that they have the disease. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in Canada and the cost of diabetes is estimated to be up to $9 billion a year.”

China

According to Prevalence and Control of Diabetes in Chinese Adults published in JAMA, China now has higher rate of diabetes than the United States. Approximately 11.6% of Chinese adults have diabetes, a total of 114 million people. About one third of all people with diabetes now live in China.

India

According to the IDF’s Diabetes Atlas, there are more than 65.1 million people with diabetes, up from compared to 50.8 million in 2010.